{{Quote|[The [[Gerontius Took|Old Took]]] has part of his origin in the fact that both my grandfathers were longeval. My father's father was in his eleventh year when [[Wikipedia:Battle of Waterloo|Waterloo]] was fought; my mother's father, a much younger man, was born before [[Wikipedia:Queen Victoria|Queen Victoria]] came to the throne, and survived till his ninety-ninth year, missing his 'hundred' (with which he was as much concerned as [[Bilbo]] was to surpass the Old Took) only because he mowed a large lawn that spring and then sat in the wind without a jacket.|[[J.R.R. Tolkien]]<ref name=RC/>}}

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{{Quote|[The [[Gerontius Took|Old Took]]] has part of his origin in the fact that both my grandfathers were longeval. My [[John Benjamin Tolkien|father's father]] was in his eleventh year when [[Wikipedia:Battle of Waterloo|Waterloo]] was fought; my [[Tolkien Family|mother's father]], a much younger man, was born before [[Wikipedia:Queen Victoria|Queen Victoria]] came to the throne, and survived till his ninety-ninth year, missing his 'hundred' (with which he was as much concerned as [[Bilbo]] was to surpass the Old Took) only because he mowed a large lawn that spring and then sat in the wind without a jacket.|[[J.R.R. Tolkien]]<ref name=RC/>}}

{{Quote|[The incidents of the [[Witch-king]]'s [[Morgul blades|knife]] in [[Flight to the Ford|Book I, Chapter 12]], and of [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]]'s [[Daggers of Westernesse|sword]] in [[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields|Book V, Chapter 6]]] were intended to be integrated with the entire mytho-historical background, events in an agelong war. [[Frodo]] received his wound from the Witchking under [[Weathertop]], the bulwark of the ancient fortified line made by the [[Númenóreans|Numenoreans]] against his kingdom; Meriadoc's dagger was taken from the gravemounds of the same people. It was made by smiths who knew all about [[Sauron]] and his servants, and made in prophetic vision or hope of ending just as it did. [spellings ''sic'']|[[J.R.R. Tolkien]]<ref name=RC/>}}

{{Quote|[The incidents of the [[Witch-king]]'s [[Morgul blades|knife]] in [[Flight to the Ford|Book I, Chapter 12]], and of [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]]'s [[Daggers of Westernesse|sword]] in [[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields|Book V, Chapter 6]]] were intended to be integrated with the entire mytho-historical background, events in an agelong war. [[Frodo]] received his wound from the Witchking under [[Weathertop]], the bulwark of the ancient fortified line made by the [[Númenóreans|Numenoreans]] against his kingdom; Meriadoc's dagger was taken from the gravemounds of the same people. It was made by smiths who knew all about [[Sauron]] and his servants, and made in prophetic vision or hope of ending just as it did. [spellings ''sic'']|[[J.R.R. Tolkien]]<ref name=RC/>}}

Excerpts

"[The Old Took] has part of his origin in the fact that both my grandfathers were longeval. My father's father was in his eleventh year when Waterloo was fought; my mother's father, a much younger man, was born before Queen Victoria came to the throne, and survived till his ninety-ninth year, missing his 'hundred' (with which he was as much concerned as Bilbo was to surpass the Old Took) only because he mowed a large lawn that spring and then sat in the wind without a jacket."

"[The incidents of the Witch-king's knife in Book I, Chapter 12, and of Merry's sword in Book V, Chapter 6] were intended to be integrated with the entire mytho-historical background, events in an agelong war. Frodo received his wound from the Witchking under Weathertop, the bulwark of the ancient fortified line made by the Numenoreans against his kingdom; Meriadoc's dagger was taken from the gravemounds of the same people. It was made by smiths who knew all about Sauron and his servants, and made in prophetic vision or hope of ending just as it did. [spellings sic]"